From the office of Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL, 11th District)…
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) today issued the following statement on the House passage of the three-week Continuing Resolution (CR) that will cut additional spending, while keeping the federal government running:
“Last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington — cut spending. I came to Washington to do exactly that.
“House Republicans passed a long-term CR with $100 billion in cuts. The Senate rejected this proposal, refusing to side with the taxpayers to get our fiscal house in order – leaving Congress to pass a short-term CR with another $4 billion in cuts over two weeks. Today, we passed an additional $6 billion in cuts over the next three weeks. If the Senate passes this short-term CR, it will be a total of $10 billion in spending cuts. This achievement of permanently cutting $10 billion is a good start, but the cuts will not stop here.
“We cannot give up, shutdown and simply hope Senate Democrats will cave. The House only controls one stem of the legislative branch and it’s time for Senate Democrats to work together with the House on a long-term CR that contains significant spending cuts needed to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year.
“A government shutdown would not save taxpayers any money and could have a negative and direct effect on the everyday lives of Americans ranging from postponed paychecks for troops, delayed Social Security checks for some, and new patients rejected from health care clinics. House Republicans are working to ensure these adversities do not arise while continuing to cut spending and reach results American families and businesses will be pleased with.
“The CR debate is only the first step in a multi-step process by Republicans to rein-in decades of government overspending and to get our fiscal house in order.
“My colleagues and I have made it clear that Washington’s spending spree is over. American families are tightening their belts and I am determined to make sure Washington does too.
“Now is the time to tackle our fiscal issues head on by fighting for more spending cuts and spending reforms that will remove barriers to job growth and refuel our economy, just as we pledged to America.”
NOTE: Last year, for the first time in more than 30 years, the House of Representatives — under a Democratic majority — failed to pass, or even propose a budget for Fiscal Year 2011. As a direct result, Americans were left with no budget and Democrats had no restraints.